Roxon Retires: Attorney General Quits

Prime Minister Julia Gillard this weekend officially confirmed that Nicola Roxon has handed in her notice and resigned her post as Federal Attorney-General. No, it's not just boring politics, you probably should care about this.

Roxon leaves behind behind an office still grappling with controversial national security reforms that include a data retention policy that would see your data held onto by ISPs for up to two years. The plan was proposed so that law enforcement agencies could access data easier during an investigation.

The data retention policy was opened up for comment in July last year with its inclusion in discussion paper containing other sweeping national security reforms.

The policy drew scathing criticism from civil liberty groups and even those in the political arena. Greens' Senator Scott Ludlum said that the policy would "treat Aussies like criminals" regardless of whether or not they had committed a crime.

Roxon is reportedly resigning for personal reasons. She said in an emotional press conference today that she misses spending time with her daughter, adding that if she contested the next election and won, her daughter would be joining high school by the time she retired.

Roxon plans to sit on the backbench until the September election and quietly bow out after that.

Victorian MP Mark Dreyfus has been elevated to the position vacated by Roxon, and already he has expressed concerns about the privacy of individuals. We'll have to see whether or not the data retention policy survives his tenure.

Comments

What a week for Labor. Calls election. Ex Labor MP arrested on 150 fraud charges allegedly committed while working his way up Labor ladder through the unions. ICAC inquiry before the courts in NSW investigating two NSW Labor MP's over corruption that made the Obeid family 100 million dollars (to be fair the Obieds are saying they only made 80 million of the deal). In the process Eddies son Moses lied under oath about a conversation that was played back to him right after he denied it ever taking place.

You really need to get over this. As if she is the first politician to do something they promised they wouldn't. Abbott has promised to "stop the boats!" but he won't because it can't be done. Every ploitician makes promises and will fail on some of them. Personally, I'd rather have someone who is prepared to change to implement something for the good of all rather than stick to a promise. What about Abbott's "the sky is falling" over the implementation of the carbon tax. A bunch of lies and deceit but he is given a free pass on it. It's just as much BS from both sides.

If Gillard is such an untrustworthy loser, why is Abbott continually less popular? They should give Malcolm another run and then there might be some leadership people can beleive in.

At least high speed broadband is on the agenda because of a labor policy. You can pretty much say goodbye to that after the election.

You're backing the wrong horse. There is no way this train wreck of a political party can win the next election. They won't be able to hold the seats they barely hold now, let alone after an election. I don't know who you're talking too (outside of the student union common room), but labor stink. Apart from "no carbon tax", how about tax cuts for small business, promise? BUZZZZ. Nope. Or how about the promise to Wilke on poke reforms? BUZZZZZZ. Nope. Or the one about a budget surplus? BUZZZZ. Nope. 3 for 3 so far, and I haven't mentioned Dullards promise to not challenge KRudd before the last election. BUZZZZ. Wrong again. Yep, politicians lie, but this woman is pathological. Whats her agenda? If Tony A had done this, your lot would be storming the streets baying for blood and rightfully so. Don't apologise for a corrupt and morally bankrupt government. We the people deserve much better. So now you'd best get use to Tony Abbott being your next PM, its inevitable. Just try and look surprised on election night. BTW, in the final term of the Howard government, we had 158 boat arrivals. In this last term of government, 16,000. Facts don't lie. It can be done, if you have the will. One last fact. Dullard and Abbott are 3% points apart as preferred PM. The coalition leads by 10%.

When you stand up for the people, your not siding with institutional exception, aka big business, so you are either fired or pushed out. There's no such thing as a protestor on the inside, they must be outside of the system.

Yes, the statement is completely unbelievable. If it were true, then when did Gillard need to have a Captions Pick to dump Crossin. She could easily have chosen an Aboriginal candidate to replace Evans.

How does that old saying go? Oh yeah, I remember now...Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Roxon was behind the most authoritarian and damaging policies to restrict the internet, spy on ordinary civilians internet and phone usage and generally destroy our rights to free expresssion. I wonder where she's off to? A job with the politbureau in the Chinese Communist Party perhaps? Let me repeat, GOOD RIDDANCE. Take Conroy with you on the way out Roxon.

I'm glad you are confident that Abbott will be better on these issues. And when they are not, and pursue even more draconian measures, what are you going o compare them to? The Hitler cabinet? Genghis Khan? Please note that the Liberal position on these issues is, by and large, that Labor has not moved fast enough to implement them!

You do know that the Nazi party was a socialist political party right? Dullard and her anti discrimination legislation was akin to something Hitler would do to silence the masses. Nice try to link Hitler to the NLP, didn't work.

Roxon was a highly capable politician who leaves behind a legacy of numerous legislation with her name on it. We need more public servants like Roxon, and less like that of Christopher Pyne. Actually, public service as a whole gets my respect. It's a thankless job that only a few people can do well. Roxon was one of those outstanding individuals.

Hey guy and sp1ker, don't be late for your 2.15pm politics lecture, "How to get a job as a union organiser or schoolteacher and then go into parliament for Labor and stuff the country". How are the YounG Labor meetings these days? I used to go to them at Uni because they always put a keg on, but they're probably too serious about blaming Abott for everything to have fun like that these days,

Stick to the point. Your infantile response did nothing to address my point. There are heaps of buffoons and lackeys in parliament. Roxon is not among those you can count as imbeciles. She's been a capable and hard working public servant, and she deserves a modicum of respect. Unlike that monkey Christopher Pyne.

" Unlike that monkey Christopher Pyne."
"Your infantile response did nothing to address my point."
Hmmm. Hypocrite much?
Roxon came up with the brain dead idea of the alchopops tax. Fail. The anti discrimination legislation banning free speech. Fail. And the plain paper cigarette packaging isn't social engineering? Are people are that stupid they don't know smoking kills? What next? Plain packaged alcohol? Just get the fuck out of my life already, I can take responsibility for it myself, thanks very much.
I'm glad this Fabian socialist experiment is coming to an end, and the corrupt end up in goal where they belong. At the cost of $300 billion, its one bloody expensive lesson.
Theres an old saying. People vote Liberal as long as they can stand them, and they vote labor as long as they can afford them. And here we are. Broke. Bye bye labor.

You've invested so much energy into a certainty all your own. That It would be interesting to see the expression on your face, if a Gillard (or labor) government is returned. In fact, the flashpoint of that moment would be extremely hilarious and i think Gizmodo should base a future Camera Challenge on that.

Personally, i have little interest in either party except for their policies. Both are suspect in content but i am more interested in what either will do to... Advance Australia Fair.

Good. the current Attorney General's department has been stomping all over our civil liberties these last few years (or at least trying to). Hopefully a change in leadership will result in some change in this regard.

I always wonder about the tiny little minds of those wishing for the wholesale destruction of a political party, so that we can have government without checks. You get no better democracy than with a knife-edge parliament and pinheads like you will be the first in line whining once Dr No can do what he likes. Just like Queensland and NSW where we realise one rotten group was replaced by an even more rotten group, be careful what you wish for.

No, of course not, because everything is and will be Abbott's fault, amazing really seeing as he's not even running the country, but that's what Labor say, and they never lie. Is there a carbon tax BTW?

At least Abbott isn't a union cronie with a very dubious past of corrupt behaviour, allegedly involved in fraud related activity, screwing around with married women, then placing his mates on the high court or on the board of Fair Work Australia. You want THAT running the show? You voted for that. Who's the pinhead? Whats your beef with TA? Please provide some valid, rational evidence of your hatred. Being a dick isn't an excuse btw. You're an idiot if you believe everything labor tell you. They rely on idiots like you to keep them in cash, oh, I mean power. I bet you're in a union too. I pity you.

Smashed out of existence?! Please... Yearning for the good old Howard days? What a nightmare for everyone, especially those of us that are technologically progressive. It's sad people can't appreciate or consider all the benefits that this term of government has brought, especially the standout policy for Giz readers being a world class NBN fiber to the home roll out rather than the polished turd that is the liberal party's policy of VDSL - aka FTTN.

Hey it may have been a bumpy ride but I'll support this than the nightmare authoritarian, back to the 50's conservative, luddite and prejudiced party of the "liberals"

Yep, -$300 billion in 5 years. Thats real progress. Backwards. Just ask most of Europe who've been running on successive deficits how thats been working for them. Your thinking is the reason why we're at this point. Let just spend what we don't have, on things we can't afford, just to stay in power. You obviously haven't run a business have you? This lot make John Howard look like Willy Wonker. If you want the NBN, then you and your mates can pay for it. Not Farmer Brown in the middle of nowhere who won't need it, just so you can game online at high speed. Telstra had applied to the government back in 2005 to lay the ground for a fibre network. Then came Ruddy. So instead of industry supplying it, the government had to. Over time, over budget and overly expensive. Only an idiot would say this is a good idea.

Nicola Roxon and by proxy the Gillard government may not have been as exemplary as some of us would have wanted, but they have certainly done a lot in the time they have been in power. As a bonus it means we didn't have to suffer Abbott's backwards and prejudiced policies for the past 3 years. People seem to so casually forget that in reality the Liberals may as a whole be a better choice, but their leader is a downright whackjob. Gillard is the lesser of two evils, with a proven track record.

Exactly, I fear for the future if Abbott gains power. I have gotten over the knifing of Rudd, it's time to think of the country. This isn't like cheering for your favourite footy team. This is serious stuff.

Labor is just the better of the two evils. Unless you are earning more than $200K a year than you are digging your own grave as you rely on the services the public system provides. Liberal promises a better cost of living through privatisation and competition. What a load. Liberal privatised Australian an is the reason we are in the mess we are today and it will only get worse to the point we are like the good old USA. What happens in reality in the private sector is doctors, dentists, retailers form organisations where they set prices so that they don't compete agains each other in price. Privatisation and globalisation is not the way for the future but only opportunities for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.

Why do I need to "get over it"? Because it suits you? Because you don't want the voting public constantly reminded? But before you even bother to answer those, read the post before mine to understand the context of my response.

No, Gillard is not the first politician to lie, and she won't be the last. However, arguably the two biggest lies ever perpetrated by politicians in Australia are from Labor - 1. Keating L-A-W, law and 2. Gillard's no carbon tax. What's more, not only did Gillard introduce a tax that she promised that she would not introduce, she broke the related promise of using a Citizens' Assembly to set a CO2 price.

So, to put it bluntly, n, I will not "get over" the CO2 tax and I shall continue to remind anyone and everyone at every available opportunity.

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